


Stay With Me

by Im_a_Plain_Jane



Category: The Last of Us (Video Games)
Genre: Age Difference, Awkward Crush, Awkward Flirting, Developing Relationship, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Older Man/Younger Woman, Pining
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-05
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-14 05:14:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,572
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29040705
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Im_a_Plain_Jane/pseuds/Im_a_Plain_Jane
Summary: When you arrived at Jackson, you finally felt at ease. Your walls finally came down when you met Ellie. But as soon as those walls fell, so did your heart when you saw him.
Relationships: Dina/Ellie (The Last of Us), Joel (The Last of Us)/Reader
Comments: 1
Kudos: 10





	1. Chapter 1

The snow danced on your skin as you stumbled through the woods. The only thing that kept you warm was the worn-out jacket and tattered scarf. This was the worst winter you've experienced. The cold was slowing you down. Your legs too weak to march on. Your eyes were so heavy, but you saw a building in the distance. A smile blessed your face as you tried to run towards it, only for your legs to give out. "No, no, please" you attempted to push yourself up. All the strength in you left as you fell back down into the snow. Crawling was pointless. You looked back up at the building and reached for it. You closed your eyes and rested on the snow.

 _This is it_.

"Hey, I found something!" A voice echoed through the woods "It's a person" the sounds of horses came closer to your barely conscious body. "You think they're dead?" One of them dismounted their horses and approached your body "I wouldn't be surprised". They turned you to your back and touched your throat "She's still alive!" They shouted to your partner "We should take her back!" You opened your eyes slightly. A young woman held your face. 

"Help me with her" the young woman pulled you up as another woman helped set you on the horse. You looked up at the woman "Thank...you..." you mustered out "Not a problem" she smiled down at you. 

The ride was slow as she didn't want to risk hurting you, but where ever they were going was close. "We found someone! Open up!" The other woman shouted, you reached to the younger woman "Where...did you take me?" The woman holding you in her arms rubbed your arm.

"Welcome to Jackson."

The young lady escorted you to a home while the older woman spoke with some men. You looked around and saw some folks staring at you "Sorry about the eyes," you looked at the girl "We don't let many people in anymore" you reached her home. She laid you down on her couch and started to light the fireplace for you "What's your name?" You asked softly. When she finished the fire "The name's Ellie, you?" Ellie asked with a smile on her face "Y/n..." the heat from the fire caressed your face "Why were you alone in the woods?" Ellie asked. 

"Some hunters were chasing me, thankfully I lost them, but they took all my supplies." Ellie scoffed "Fucking hunters" she looked back at you "I'm sorry, but I'm glad I found you" you smiled "I am too" Ellie pat the floor next to her. You stood up and sat next to her "It's a miracle you didn't get frostbite" you hugged your thighs "I can get you some new clothing and get you out of these rags" she lifted your scarf. You pulled the scarf away "I would like that...but I still want to wear the scarf" Ellie stood up and offered you her hand "I can get a bath started for you, as well as wash your current clothes" a smile ran across your face as you took her hand.

She led you to the bathroom and started the tub "I'll go get some clothes for you, just enjoy the bath" you nodded and waited for Ellie to leave to strip down. You opened the door slightly and handed your clothing to Ellie. You stepped into the bath and was relieved at how warm it was, sliding your body into the water a sigh left your lips as your body absorbed the warmth. You allowed yourself to relax. A little too much in fact, where you fell asleep in the tub.

A knock at the door woke you up "I got you clothes!" Ellie shouted, "Thank you!" You shouted back. Maybe it was time to get out of the tub.

You put the baggy clothing on and stepped out of the bathroom to go back to the fireplace "Hey" you waved "Hi...thanks for the clothes" you gave her a warm smile. Ellie looked you up and down "You look good in sweats," you smiled and looked at the floor "Sorry I gave you my old man's button-up" you grew a little confused. _Old man?_ "You still have your dad?" she shrugged "Well adoptive dad" she handed you the scarf "It looks better on you though" you giggled. 

Ellie handed you a jacket "Let me get you something to eat before I take you to Maria" you nodded and followed her through the town "You guys have electricity?" Ellie nodded "We use a hydroelectric dam, but bandits love to raid the place". She led you to the bakery "I hope you like bread" You stayed close to the door as Ellie ordered a single muffin for you. 

"Here you are" a blush spread across your face as you took the muffin from her "Thank you..." you whispered kindly. She smiled and watch you eat the bread, you got nervous and looked the other way to continue eating. You hummed in enjoyment as you scruffed down the muffin "I think you like it" you looked up at her "Oh this is delicious" you covered your mouth and swallowed. Once you were finished with the bread you looked at her "I haven't had a proper piece of food in so long! This easily beats out the stale chips and expired energy bars" you gave a huge compliment to the baker. Ellie pulled you out of the bakery since you kept trying to order items "Once we talk to Maria I'll bring you back" you whined. 

The both of you laughed as you both ran through towards the wooden wall "Maria" the older woman looked over her shoulder and stared directly at you. Nervous by her, you hid behind Ellie "Hey, how has she been?" Maria asked while leaning towards you. Ellie pushed you forward "Ask her yourself" you looked back at her with fear, a hand was placed on your shoulder "You don't gotta worry, I won't bite" you looked up at the woman. 

"Have you enjoyed yourself so far?" She asked with a smile, you rubbed your arms "I have, thank you for letting me be here" Maria tilted her head "Well if you're going to stay here you're going to have to help around." 

She wrapped her arm around you and began to give you a tour of the town while Ellie walked next to you "Since you just got here. I'll allow you to have a few days to settle in" Ellie stopped Maria "Where is she going to stay?" Maria let you go and thought about it. She looked at Ellie "You don't mind if she stays with you while we clear out a place for her, do ya?" Ellie shrugged "I'm fine with it, but I don't know if Joel will be cool with it" Maria scoffed. 

"I'll talk to him about it. Well, I gotta get going, you enjoy your week off. But when that week is off expect to be working" Maria kissed Ellie's forehead and walked away from the two of you. Ellie lightly punched your arm "Looks like we're roommates" you smiled and looked away "But won't your dad be uncomfortable?" She waved the question away "If he does then I'll beat him up" she grabbed your hand "Come one let's get you that muffin" you smiled and hugged her.

"I owe you my life." 

She hugged you back "Hey El-oh" Ellie quickly pulled away from the hug "Oh! Hey Dina" she nervously played with her fingers "Was I interrupting something?" Dina asked glancing at you. Ellie's face burned red "O-oh n-no...I actually wanted to introduce you to her" she placed her hand on your back "Dina, this is y/n. She just got here" you stuck your hand out. Dina shook your hand "It's nice to meet you...I was gonna ask Ellie if she wanted some drinks, would you like to come" you looked at the both of them "I...um" you exhaled softly "Sure". Dina smirked "Cool...have you ever had a drink before? Actually how old are you?" Dina asked, "I'm surprised I haven't asked that" Ellie admitted, you swallowed your nervousness "I'm twenty-five" the two girls before you had the biggest grins.

Dina and Ellie both dragged you to the pub, when inside Dina greeted the waiter while Ellie sat you down "What is this place?" You asked your roommate "This is a pub" she leaned over to your ear "We come in here to get drunk" you tilted your head. Dina came back with three small glasses "Ladies, your drinks" Ellie took a cup as did you "What is being drunk like?" You asked while looking at into the glass. They went on about how it was such a great thing and how you would love it before shooting their drinks down. _This is weird_ "I don't know about this" you handed the drink back to Dina "It's not that bad" she tried to convince you to try a sip, you looked at Ellie "I recommend it" she wasn't on your side. 

You denied it since you didn't know what it was "What are you two doing?" The two girls stopped and looked up scared "H-hey Joel" you followed their gazes, an older man stood behind you. He looked down at you "Howdy" you looked away and quietly said hello "Now I thought I taught you better than this" he scolds the girls for pressuring you to try drinking. 

All you could hear was your heartbeat, you stared at his hazel eyes. Ellie and Dina apologized to you and you accepted it and quickly looked back at the older man "So this is your old man?" You asked Ellie. Joel smile at you "The name's Joel," he tilted his head "I was told you'd just got here and will be staying with Ellie and me" you slowly nodded "Well it's a pleasure meeting you" heat rushed to your face. Joel took your cup "If Ellie's causing you any trouble, just let me know" he asked the waiter to fill it up "Noted" you tried to take your eyes off him but couldn't. 

Joel sat next to you with the drink in his hand "You too?" You jokingly asked, he took a sip out of the cup "I wouldn't ever do anything you're not comfortable with" you slowly nodded. Your eyes were fixated on him but you remembered that was Ellie was there with you, so you reluctantly pulled your eyes away from him and looked at the counter, tapping it nervously. The girls chatted and drank amongst themselves, you looked back at Joel and saw how relaxed he was slowly drinking his cup "What even is that drink?" You asked resting your head on your hand. 

Joel placed it down "Whiskey" you chewed on the inside of your cheek "Can I try?" You whispered with a soft smile. That slightly surprised Joel but he agreed "You might not like it" he handed you the drink "It's worth a try" you took a small sip. You winced at the taste and handed it back to him, he hid his laughter "I told you that you wouldn't like it" you felt warmth consume your body. Ellie threw her arm around your shoulder "So you drink when the old man offers but not when I do?" She sighs dramatically to which you looked at your lap. Dina giggled "It's almost like you want to impress him" she joked "N-no it's not like that!" You defended yourself, Joel slapped Ellie's hand "they're just drunk, don't pay any mind" he chugged the rest of the drink. 

"Alright, time to take you girls home" Joel stood up and took Ellie by the arm "Can you get Dina?" He asked you kindly "Yeah, no problem" Dina shot one more drink and gave herself up to you. The four of you left the pub, taking Dina home and returning to Ellie's and Joel's after that. 

When the three of you enter the home, you sat on the couch as Joel ordered Ellie to bed, she scoffed but agreed. Joel rubbed his eyes and turned his attention to you "So, have you enjoyed yourself so far?" He asked while taking his seat next to you. You played with the sleeves of the jacket "This is a very lovely place. Everyone I've met so far is very welcoming" you said looking him in the eyes. Joel could tell you were nervous "I'm glad that you feel welcomed, but I gotta ask you" you looked up at him "Why are you so nervous?" He leaned forward. 

Your heart raced "W-well..." you fiddled with your fingers "I'm in a new place, with new faces...dealing with new emotions..." Joel looked at the ground "I hope those emotions are good" you said nothing. You've never really felt anything other than fear and pain, so these new emotions were strange, especially this new emotion towards Joel. He stood up "I'll get you a blanket" you looked up at him "Yes of course" you unwrapped your scarf "I know someone who can fix that up for you" he pointed at your scarf. You clenched it tightly "I don't know...it was my mother's" he tilted his head "I promise I'll just have them sew up the tears" you looked at it and handed it to him. He left briefly, so you took the time to unzip your jacket and take off your bra under the baggy shirt, and placed them on a chair next to the sofa. 

He returned with two blankets "Here you are" he hands them to "Is that my shirt?" You blushed "Ellie gave it to me to wear while she washed mine" you looked back at him "Once I get my clothes I'll give it back, I promise," you said with a soft smile. He chuckled "You can keep it," he turned away from you "You look good in it," Ellie told you the same before, but when he said it you were speechless. "Have yourself a good night" he walked up the stairs, leaving you alone to your thoughts.

"You too..." you muttered at the now gone man.


	2. Chapter 2

You woke up with the bitter taste of whiskey still lingering in your mouth "You're up finally" you looked behind you and saw Ellie sitting at the dining table. You stood up and folded the blankets "Did I overslept?" She chuckled "Nah, you're up before Joel, so you're up early" you looked at the ground when she said his name. Ellie handed you some new clothing "I got your other clothes cleaned but I thought you might like something new" you smiled "Thanks" Ellie shrugged with a soft smile. 

"I got patrol again," concern filled her face "You gonna be alright without me?" You giggled "What? I'm being serious!" She pushed your shoulder playfully. You held her hand "I'll be fine. Now go do your patrol work" you squeezed her hand "Alright, alright" you turn her around and push her towards the door.

Ellie opened the front door "Just don't get into trouble" you nodded and watched her leave. You grabbed your Jacket and bra from the chair next to the couch _A shower sounds good right now_ you thought with a smile. You walked to the bathroom, the shower was on _Didn't Ellie say he was asleep_ you sighed and sat next to the door, waiting for him to finished.

The door opened and out stepped Joel, his open button-up was the first thing you noticed "I-I umm..." you looked away as he stepped out of the bathroom. Bring him a bit closer to you "I used up the hot water," you waddled away from him "Hope you don't mind the cold" dropping your head down "It's fine..." you said with your eyes fixated on the ground. Joel could tell that you were unsettled with his presence, so he apologized for making you uncomfortable and left to his room. You locked yourself in the bathroom, pressing your forehead against the door.

Your body was tortuously warm. 

The cold water on your hot skin felt painful. Massaging your skin with the water, you thought of his bare chest _Oh stop it_ you scold yourself for thinking of him in such a crude way. _He's letting you take refuge in his home, be respectful!_ You cupped some of the water and splashed your face and left your hands on your face. When your body finally cooled down you turned the knob and waited for a moment to clear your mind. You grabbed a towel while stepping out of the shower and stared at yourself in the mirror as you dried and dressed yourself. Quickly, you left the bathroom and returned to the living room to put on your boots and jacket to go look around this new town.

You softly exhaled and opened the front door. The frosty air hit your face which caused you to slam the door shut "You alright there?" You jumped and looked behind you "H-hey Joel" you rubbed your wrist as he opened the front door. He looked around "I don't see any danger out here" you looked up at him "I-I know that," you rubbed the back of your neck "I guess I'm used to burying my face in my scarf".

Joel remember his promise to you.

Snapping his finger, he jogged to the kitchen and started to check some drawers. You watched in confusion as he looked around the kitchen "It's not here" he ran to his room to continue his search. You kicked at the floor in boredom "Got it!" You looked up as he shows you your scarf "I still gotta get it fixed up," you touched the damaged fabric "Care to join me?" You smiled and agreed.

You wrapped the scarf around your neck, he fixed it for you "Let's go then" the heat from earlier came back as you followed him out of the house. _He's just being nice, calm down_ you shook your head and looked at the older man greet those who would pass by him.

The both of you passed by a park and saw a familiar face which made you stop in your track "Dina?" She looked up and smiled "Hold up guys!" Some kids booed her as she walked up to you. Dina leaned against the fence "Hey, sorry about last night" you waved it away "It's alright, I still had a nice time with you and Ellie" Dina smiled "So what are you up to today?" She asked "Just getting this scarf fixed with Joel" Dina smirked. 

She looked at Joel "That's awfully kind of you Joel" she looked back at you "So I was wondering if you wanted to join Ellie, Jesse, and me at the bonfire. Think of it as a chance to get to know us" you thought about it. Dina's big smile convinced you to tag along, she bounced in joy "You're awesome, I'll get Ellie and you later than," she leaned closer to you "Now if you'll excuse me, I gotta fuck up these little brats" she winks and turns back to the children. Joel taps your shoulder "You seem to get along with her" he lightly pulls you away from the park "She's easy to talk to." You looked back at her and smiled as she had a kid on her back "Dina's always been a people person" Joel confesses. 

You look at him "What about you?" He meets your gaze "What about me?" "Are you a people person as well?" You asked. Joel scoffed "No" it was kind of hard to believe him but you accepted it "Are you?" He asked in return. 

"I guess I am" you smiled "My parents would push me to talk to the people we were with" you touched your cheek as you thought of them, Joel took notice of the action "Well they taught you well" his tone was cheerful. A soft smile crossed your face "They did" a moment of silence passed "So, how close is this little shop?" You asked, clapping your hands together in an attempt to suppress your emotion and to lighten the mood. 

This caught Joel off guard "Oh, just up this street" you pulled his jacket so he can hurry his pace. 

The both of you enter the shop "Give me the scarf" you playfully gave him a dirty look but listened to him "You go get some clothing for yourself while I'll get this fixed" you chuckled "Thanks for giving me permission" he shoves you and heads towards the counter. You walked around and looked at the clothing to find something in your sizes, to your delight you found some items. A cozy sweater, socks, two pairs of jeans, and some boots. A steal in your opinion. That wasn't going to be enough so you look for tops, bras, and underwear. Only finding shirts that were two sizes big or two sizes small "I guess I'll go with option number one," you told yourself while picking the large shirt "Hope I don't have the same issues with the bras and panties" you mumbled.

There were the same issues with the bras and panties.

The sizes were all over the place, you grumpily looked at the options and choose two sports bras, one size bigger the other a size smaller, and four panties that were either the same size or a size smaller. _Better than wearing nothing_ you reminded yourself "Well I'm done" you said loud enough for Joel to hear "Good he replied, making you smile.

You walked towards where Joel was at and saw Joel leaning against it, staring at his boot, "Woah..." you whispered, he looked up at you "You say something?" You shake your head. You put the items on the counter and wait with him for your scarf.

The silence is loud. 

Joel was completely lost in his thought to even notice you looking at him. A heat overwhelmed you as you admired the older man "Here you are" a man said while placing your scarf down. Joel snapped out of his thoughts and looked at the man "Thank you again Scott" he nodded and heads to the backroom "Don't I have to pay for this?" You asked "Nope" you huffed. Joel took your scarf and wrapped it around your neck "Don't want you getting cold" he said softly, you nuzzled the fabric as he picked up your things. 

_What a gentleman._

The both of you walked back to his home "So you enjoy yourself so far?" Joel asked "Yeah, this town is very lovely and the people I've met so far are very kind" Joel smiled "I'm glad". An older man approached Joel "You don't mind if I chat with Joel real quick do ya?" The man asked, to which you shrugged "You're a real doll" Joel handed you back your items and pulled the man aside. The chat seemed to be an important one so you decided to walk to his home alone.

This town was so lively, just like the ones you'd see in one of those old polaroids your parents would show you. It felt unreal. It felt comforting knowing you don't have to be so on edge or to constantly worry about the threat of infect or hunters. 

You opened the door to his house and kicked it closed _Wonder when Ellie comes back_ you put the clothing down on the same chair you put your jacket on. You sat on the couch and played with your fingertips, waiting for the owner of this house to return. About twenty minutes passed and he still hasn't come back, so you gave yourself a tour around the home. 

"Well here you'll find a kitchen, great for cooking," you said, "Does the oven work?" You turned it on "Why yes it does!" You went on asking questions and answering them. You run your hands up the staircase railing as you walked up the steps "On you'll love the upstairs" you turn behind yourself to a blank space "We have a working bathroom and two bedrooms...I think?" you pouted your lips. _Does he have more than one bedroom?_ You stood in the middle of the staircase _If he did then why I am sleeping on the couch!_ You reached the top and saw four doors. 

Three bathrooms, his room, an extra bedroom "That jerk" you checked the bedroom and saw they were empty, both just had a bed, nightstand, and wardrobe. You slowly exhaled out your nose and closed both doors "So would you like to buy the house ma'am?" You asked sarcastically "I'd love to" you flinched at the deep voice. You slowly turned and saw him at the staircase "Hey" "Hi" you both stare at each other "Did you hear me call you a jerk?" He nodded "Well...you are, and I'm not sorry." you said with full confidence. 

Joel rolled his eyes "Then I won't be sorry kicking you out" your eyes widen slightly "Oh so you're threatening to kick me out?" You crossed your arms "I sure am considering it since I'm such a jerk" you both glared each other down. You walked past him "I'd like to see you try" you stuck your tongue at him which made him laugh. His laugh was heavenly. You shook your head "So what did you and that guy talk about?" Joel sighed "Bandits are fucking with the dam again" "Damn." You said without thinking, you smiled at your dumb joke and quickly shook it off when Joel showed displease to it. 

"is there anything I can do to help?" Joel looked you up and down "You good with a gun?" You shook your hand "I've only used one a handful of times" you smiled when he tilted his head. His hand rested on his hips "Well did you hit your target those handfuls of time?" You bite your lip "Like 60% of the time".

"Ever ridden a horse?"

"No"

"Killed a none infected?"

"Never had to come to that"

"Have you ever used a knife before?"

"Sort of"

"Is there anything you're good at?" Joel asked harshly. That struck a chord with you. _Am I good at anything?_ You nervously rubbed your wrist and thought about the question "I'm good at cleaning and tending wounds..." Joel rubbed the bridge of his nose. He sighed "I guess that's something" frustration filled him "Look I appreciate your offer to help, but you playing doctor isn't going to do shit with bandits!" He ran his hands through his hair. Cooling himself down he looked at you and noticed how visibly hurt you were by his comment "Hey I'm sorry it's just..." he couldn't think of anything to say. 

You shrugged "I know I'm not the most experienced, but I could learn," you said with a weak smile "My parents showed me the basics" Joel exhaled and scratched his beard. "I can help you if you'd like" your weak smile turned to a genuine smile "I would like that" Joel pat his hip "Am I still a jerk?" He asked with a cocky smile. 

You chuckled softly "You're still a jerk."


End file.
